JdBP>> This is neither a problem, nor a reason for a C++ Standard.
 JdBP>> It isn't a problem because Borland C++ supports templates and
 JdBP>> exceptions, and so does Watcom C++, and they both have 16-bit
 JdBP>> compilers that have all of the language features of the 32-bit
 JdBP>> compilers.
 BP> Not nearly.  Borland had templates in 3.0+, exceptions in 4.0+
 BP> versions. But several new C++ features are only in 5.0+ versions.
 BP> While their last (AFAIK) 16-bit compatible version, 4.52 remain as
 BP> "no longer supported".   
You clearly haven't read the side of the box of Borland C++ 5.0.  The actual 
compiler in Borland C++ 5.0 is the same as in Borland C++ 4.52.  And in 
Borland C++ 4.52 the 32-bit and 16-bit compilers support exactly the same 
level of the C++ language.  This makes them suitable for developing 16-bit 
and 32-bit programs using the same language constructs -- a job for which 
Microsoft C++ is *un*suitable.  So you are only really presenting a case for 
not using Microsoft C++ for this particular job, rather than a case about C++ 
compilers in general as you obviously thought you were.
 BP> Watcom I don't know, [...]
Watcom C++ implements exactly the same C++ language in both its 16-bit and 
32-bit compilers.  
Again, this means that your demand for a C++ standard that requires universal 
conformity, based on your argument that there didn't exist the same level of 
C++ language support for the 16-bit and 32-bit worlds, is fundamentally 
flawed -- because there are implementations (Watcom C++ and Borland C++) that 
*do* provide exactly the same level of C++ language support for 16-bit and 
32-bit programming.  
As I suspected, and as your response shows, your argument was based upon 
large experience with only Microsoft C++, which has special reasons (to do 
with forcing the market to migrate to newer Microsoft products) for not 
providing up-to-date C++ language support in anything but the 32-bit world, 
and little to no experience with Borland C++ and Watcom C++, which provide a 
far wider range of support for programming in modern C++ on various 
platforms, and the same level of C++ language support on all of those 
platforms.
 ¯ JdeBP ®
--- FleetStreet 1.19 NR
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